PN 147 
.18 
1888 
Copy 2 



111! Hill Mil mil mil mil Mil 

0 041 194 088 3 



P N 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

^ttT^FT 

©lap diip^nj^ '^a. 

Slielf-..Ll,.. 





UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Twenty-five Cent 



(Second Edition^ 



IV ""iting For 

The Press, 



Robert Luce. 



Writing for the Press 



A MANUAL 

FOR 

Editors, Reporters, Correspondents, and Printers 



Second Edition, Revised, and Enlarged 



/ 

By ROBERT LUCE 



^•viNr-vaF cav 



BOSTON : 

THE WRITER PUBLISHING COMPANY 
1888 



rrt m 



COP YR I GHT, 

1886 & r888. 
By Robert Luck. 



Geo. B. King, Printer, 105 Summer Street, Boston 



Be thoit familiar^ but by ?io means vulgar.'''' — 

SHAKESPEARE. 

" Of all those arts in ivhich the wise excels 
Nature'' s chief masterpiece is writing wellT — 

SHEFFIELD, DUKE OF BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. 

" True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, 
As those move easiest who have learned to dance." — 

POPE. 

" The more general the terms are, the picture is the fainter; the more special 
they are, the brighter.^' — 

CAMPBELL. 

** If men zvould only say what they have to say in plain terms, how 7nuch more 
eloquent they would be ! " — 

COLERIDGE. 

*' One of the greatest of all faults in speaking and writing is this : the using of 
many words to say little.'''' — 

COBBETT. 

''^Accuracy of expression is the most essential element of a good style; and 
inaccurate writijig is generally the expression of inaccurate thinking.'''' — 

RICHARD GRANT WHITE. 

" And if in no other way, yet, as facilitating revision, a knowledge of the thing 
to be achieved — a clear idea of what constitutes a beauty, and what a blemish — 
cannot fail to be of service.^'' — 

HERBERT SPENCER. 

" When a short word will do, you always lose by using a long one. ' You lose 
in clearness; you lose in honest expression of your meaning; and, in the estimation 
of all men who are qualified to judge, you lose in reputation for ability.'''' — 

DEAN ALFORD. 




•tiMlRlTING 



FOR THE PRESS 

a, 




1. In writing for the press, never use both sides of the sheet. 

2. Leave a margin of half an inch at both top and bottom, for 
convenience in pasting. 

3. Do not write the hnes close together ; it is better to err in 
the other direction. 

4. Write legibly. By writing illegibly you always do an injury 
to the editor, the compositor, and the proof-reader, and often do 
one to yourself Be especially careful with foreign and other 
unusual words. The capitals, /and y, are often confounded; so 
are the small letters r, n, and v. 

5. Be particular to write the names of persons plainly, and 
above all, spell them correctly. Nothing gives the desk editor, the 
compositor, and the proof-reader more annoyance than carelessness 
in this respect. 



6 



Writing for the Press, 



6. Whenever time permits, read over what you have v/ritten 
before any one else sees it ; never act on the principle that as 
some one else is to edit it, you need not exercise care. After the 
matter appears in the newspaper, read it over to see what 
changes have been made, that any errors you have committed 
may never be repeated. 

7. Every well-ordered composing-room has what is called its 
style," i. e., its system of printing words that may be printed in 

two or more ways. For instance, Boston's chief thoroughfare 
may be printed "Washington Street," "Washington street," or 
"Washington St." The paper for which you write, will always 
print it in one way, and you will save somebody time and trouble 
if you will notice what that way is, and write it so in the first 
place. Some offices spell out figures up to fifty, and use. the 
Arabic numerals for higher figures; e. g., "thirty-seven," "87." 
Notice wdiere the change is made from letters to figures in the 
paper for which you write. It is in the matter of abbreviations 
that observation on this point is most desirable. 

8. In general, study the "make-up" of the paper for which 
you write. Note the system by which the styles of type are 
used. Mark the position of dates ; the way letters to the editor 
are addressed ; the use of "sub-heads" and "cross-lines;" the 
style of punctuation and capitalization ; and the many other 
points on which uniformity is desirable. Every newspaper has 
definite forms for summaries of sporting matters. Note the 
forms used in the paper for which you write, and always follow 
them. 



Writing for the Press. 



7 



9. Write your own head-lines whenever time will permit, 
except when matter is sent by telegraph. Note the number of 
letters in the different head-lines and model your own thereby. 
If you do not write your own ''head," leave space enough for it 
at the top of the first sheet. 

10. Make frequent paragraphs and always put the paragraph 
mark, IT, before every one; it is advisable also to put the mark 
after every one. In many newspaper offices the compositor is 
supposed never to put a paragraph where it is not marked. In 
editing your own or another's copy, you can ma,ke a paragraph 
where you choose by inserting the mark. Copy looks better and 
is more legible when the paragraphs are begun at some distance 
in from the edge of the sheet. When the last word on a page 
ends a sentence and does not end a paragraph, follow it with 
a large caret. When you have made a break in the middle of 
a page, and afterward decide not to have any ^, elide it, put a 
caret after the last word before the break, and another before the 
first word after the break. The same idea may be conveyed by 
a curving line connecting the last word before and the first word 
after the break. 

11. In cancelling, be careful to show clearly where the cancel- 
lation begins and where it ends. Not only make the cancelling 
Hues distinct, but if the cancellation comes in the middle of a 
paragraph, put a caret before and another after it, or connect the 
last word before and the first word after it with a heavy curving 
line. If you regret a cancellation before the sheet leaves your 
hands, you may save the trouble of re-writing by putting in the 
margin the word i-/^/ (Latin for "let it stand"); the better way 
when time allows is to re-write the cancelled passage. If only a 



8 



Writing for the Press. 



few words have been cancelled, in addition to the marginal stet'^ 
make a dotted line under the cancelled words. 

12. To save time, and may be written & with a semi-circle 
after and half enclosing it. In general, curves or, better, full 
circles round abbreviations indicate that they are to be spelled 
out ; e. g., Col. encircled will be printed Colo7iel ; N'. K, New 
York; nine. Vice vers a ^ a circle round a word means that it 
is to be abbreviated; e. g., Massachusetts encircled will be printed 
Mass. ; ni7ie, g, 

13. For the sake of clearness accustom yourself to encircle 
every period that ends a sentence. After a little practise you 
will do this almost involuntarily. It often saves editor and 
compositor much trouble. Some writers prefer the short-hand 
period, a small cross with the right-hand points joined so that it 
can be made without lifting the pen from the paper. 

14. If in editing your own or another's copy you wish to elide 
a letter, draw^ an oblique line through it downward from right to 
left. If you wish to change a capital to a small letter, draw an 
oblique line through it downward from left to right. If you wish 
to change a small letter to a capital, draw three lines under it. 
One line under words means that they are to be printed in 
italics ; two lines, small caps ; three lines, full caps 

15. Begin every sentence with a capital letter. If it is not 
clear that the letter as written is a capital, draw three lines under 
it. When you cancel the first few words of a sentence, or when 
you break a sentence in two, draw three lines under the first 
letter of the first uncancelled word, or the first word of the new 



Writing for the Press. 



9 



sentence, and thus save the time and trouble of writing a capital 
over the small letter. 

1 6. Avoid division of words at the end of lines. In cutting 
" copy " into takes in the composing-room, divided words often 
make trouble. A good compositor studies to avoid divisions. 
Never divide a word at the end of a page. 

17. When a leaf has been lengthened by pasting, you may, 
for the sake of convenience, fold the lower edge forward upon 
the writing ; if it is folded backward, it may escape notice and to 
insert it may afterward cause much trouble. 

18. If you feel obliged to strike out a word from the proof, 
try to insert another, in the same .sentence, and in the same line 
if possible, to fill the space. When a cross-line is inserted in 
newspaper proof, try to take such words for the cross-line that 
the next word after is one that begins a line. 

19. In writing a foot-note, let. it immediately follow the line 
of text that contains the asterisk, or other reference mark, and 
do not write it at the bottom of the manuscript page. He who 
makes up the matter will transfer such note to its proper place. 

20. Date everything sent by mail, messenger, or telegraph. 
Whenever anything is dated, use tenses, the words "to-day," 
"yesterday," etc., in reference to the date. When it is not 
dated, use them in reference to the date on which the matter is 
to be printed. If matter be intended for use on any special day, 
such as Sunday, or in any special department, such as the sport- 
ing department, always make a note of it on the envelope. 



TO 



Writing for the Press. 



2 1. Never address an article intended for publication to any- 
particular person connected with a newspaper, unless it requires 
his personal notice before it goes to the printers. The most 
common blunder is to address news packages to the managing 
editor, using his name and not that of his position. If the paper 
prints both morning and evening editions, the chances are even 
that the news will be delayed twelve hours, for no managing 
editor is on duty more than half of the twenty-four. The envel- 
ope should be marked " News," and then it is best not to put the 
managing editor's name on it, for, if he ought to look it over, it 
will get to him anyway, and if there is no need of his seeing it, 
chance of delay will be avoided. 

2 2. Put your name on everything you wTite, at the top of the 
first sheet. Telegraph correspondents should always sign their 
full names to despatches, and not simply their initials or sur- 
names. When correspondents employ substitutes to send de- 
spatches, the name of the regular correspondent, and not that of 
the substitute, should be signed. 

23. Editors often find it hard to judge of the relative value of 
news items sent by mail from a remote city or town, and if lack 
of room makes it necessary that some shall be omitted, the deci- 
sion is made easier if the important items are designated by a 
note on the margin or on a separate sheet. A story that can 
w^ait as well as not should be marked, '' When Room/' on the top 
of the first page. Anything of especial consequence that the 
correspondent believes no other paper wdll get, may well be 
marked, " Exclusive." 



Writing for the Press, 



24. Everything in the nature of news should be sent or given 
at the earliest possible moment to the editor who is to take 
charge of it. Nowhere else is time so precious as in the news- 
paper office. 

25. Never put an editorial opinion into a news paragraph. 

26. Never allow personal feeling to bias w^hat you write. 

27. Never write anything the authorship of \vhich you would 
not be willing to own. Never write anything that you would not 
like your mother, your sister, or your child to read. 

28. If you cannot say anything good of a man or thing, say as 
little as possible unless the public good requires the contrary. 
Tell the truth. Make every effort to be accurate in every par- 
ticular. False statements may end in libel suits. An enormous 
responsibility rests on every writer for the press. A single piece 
of carelessness, a single credited rumor may ruin some man's 
life. The newspaper makes and unmakes reputations. Honor 
and justice demand the greatest care in the exercise of what is 
unquestionably the most tremendous power of modern times. 

29. The Cinci7i7iati Enquirer added to the reprint in its columns 
of the first edition of this book some directions for its own cor- 
respondents, of which these may be profitably read by any 
writer for the press : — 

It is assumed that every woman whose name is written in 
copy intended for publication, is beautiful or handsome or lovely 
or all three. Therefore, it is unnecessary to mention that any 
person is either. 



12 



Writmg for the Press. 



'* Always tell the truth, no matter who is hurt or helped. 
Remember that as a correspondent of the Eiiqiiirer you 
occupy a place of great responsibility and trust. Do not try to 
use it to injure any one. Do not try to punish any person you 
may dislike. He has rights, even if you don't like him. Always 
aim to be absolutely impartial and just. In this way you can 
best serve the Enquirer and elevate the noble profession of jour- 
nalism. You preach to more people in the Enquirer every 
morning than any minister addresses in a year. Your influence 
for good may be boundless ; for evil, equally great. Remember 
this, and be careful and sure. If you are right, let no man or 
men frighten you from your position.'' 



MATTERS OF STYLE. 

30. After you learn, it is just as easy to write good English as 
bad English. Why not learn ? In return for a little trouble at 
the start you will stand higher in the estimation of all educated 
people and will not stand lower in the estimation of the unedu- 
cated. Perhaps only one man in a hundred w^ill appreciate your 
good English, but is he not the only man in the hundred whose 
appreciation is worth caring for? 

31. Study to avoid stiffness in beginning an article. Never 
hesitate to jump into the middle of things. Introductions, when 
necessary, should be brief. 

32. Let clearness be the first consideration, brevity the second, 
and remember that metaphor is briefer than literal statement. 



Writing for the Press, 



13 



33. Use the First Person as much as possible. It gives more 
personaHty, more Hfe to the sentences. When you mean I," say 

I," and not "your humble servant" or 'Hhe pen pusher" or 
**the scribe " or any of the thousand and one equally useless and 
stilted paraphrases. Direct quotation is more forcible than indirect ; 
"I am shot,'' he said is far preferable to, He said he was shot. It 
is proper for a newspaper to say '''we think" or we believe," 
because in these cases the paper and not the writer is expressing 
an opinion ; but when a reporter or correspondent describes his 
own act, he must say " I," and not " we." The tendency of 
the day is to discard the editorial '"we." 

34. The habit of writing against space " is the greatest literary 
danger to a young newspaper writer. When you have expressed 
one idea clearly and tersely, go on to the next. Above all things, 
stop when you have done. 

SOME GRAMMATICAL QUESTIONS. 

35. "The best way," says Richard Grant White, "is to give 
yourself no trouble at all about your grammar. Read the best 
authors, converse with the best speakers, and know what you mean 
to say, and you will speak and write good English, and may let 
grammar go to its own place." There is much truthJn this, but 
we cannot all and cannot always converse with the best speakers, 
and many of us are obliged to read the productions of very poor 
authors, so that even the best of us are puzzled sometimes to know 
what is the best form to use. Some of the more common of the 
questions that arise are treated below ; others are treated under the 
head of " Words and Phrases." 



14 



Writing for the Fress. 



The pronoun standing for a noun of multitude (sometimes 
called a collective noun) is used in the singular if the idea of unity 
is to be conveyed, and in the plural if the idea of plurality is to be 
conveyed. The number of a verb after a noun of multitude is 
determined in the same way ; e. g., " The mob comes on in one 
compact body and it hurls itself at the gates " ; '^The mob now 
scatter in every direction and yell as they move off" ; The lodge 
will attend the funeral and it will march to the cemetery" ; ^^At the 
last meeting of the lodge they disagreed on that matter." When in 
doubt, it is safer to use the singular. 

Never write a personal pronoun without ■ duly considering to 
what noun it will be found to relate, upon the reading of a sentence. 
The careless use of the personal pronouns is a source of 
great annoyance to news-editors, particularly when it occurs in 
reports of trials. It is ahvays better to repeat a name than to use 
a pronoun when there will be uncertainty as to its antecedent. The 
use of direct quotation rather than indirect, often obviates the 
difficulty. 

Use the comparative degree when comparing only two things ; 
e. g., He is the eld<?/- of the two brothers " ; but, He is the 
young^fi"/ of the trio." 

Adverbs should be placed as near as possible to the words 
they modify. 

After all forms of the verb to be, use the same case as that 
which precedes it. Do not say, It was me, " or I know you 
to be he." 



15 



Where two or more singular nominatives are separated by or^ 
nor, as well as^ or other disjunctive, the verb should be in the 
singular ; but if either nominative is plural, the verb also should 
be plural. 

The active infinitive must be treated as one word, and,, 
therefore, must not be separated. It is as bad to say. " To 
properly write," as it would be to say, con often flict," for 
often conflict." 

Shall and Will. I s/ia//, you wz//, he un//, are the forms of 
the future, and merely foretell what will take place : I wi//, you 
s/ia//, he s/ia//, are the forms of the potential, and express will or 
determination on the part of the speaker. JVi// in the first 
person expresses a resolution or promise ; it must never be used, 
in questions with nominative cases in the first person. Would and 
should follow will and shall. 

The ' careless use of the present tense for the future often 
annoys news-editors. Say, Mr. B. will preach two weeks from 
today " ; not, Mr. B. preaches two weeks from today." 

Shall we say She looks pretty," or She looks prettily"? 
If you mean to describe her appearance, use the former ; if her 
mode of looking, — for instance, if she holds her opera glass 
gracefully, — use the latter. Whenever manner is to be expressed, 
use the adverb ; whenever quality is to be expressed, use the 
adjective. Putting the rule in another form : Verbs of doing take 
the adverb : verbs of seeming and being take the adjective ; e. g., 
He walks slowly, his voice sounds //<7rj-/z, he limps pai?2fully,\\\^ 
breath smells bad, his coat feels rough^ and he acts strangely'' 



i6 



Writ'mg for the Press, 



Transitive verbs must have an object; intransitive verbs do 
not admit of an object. Errors are very frequently made in the 
use of the following six verbs : 





Present. 


Past 


Participle. 




Transitive 


Lay 


Laid 


Laid 


(action) 


Intransitive 


Lie 


Lay 


Lain 


(rest) 


Transitive 


Set 


Set 


Set 


(action) 


Intransitive 


Sit 


Sat 


Sat 


(rest) 


Transitive 


Raise 


Raised 


Raised 




Intransitive 


Rise 


Rose 


Risen 





Right : 

He lays the book on the table. 
He Hes on the bed. 

He lay on the bed and laid the book on the table. 

After he had lain awhile and had laid the book on the table, 

he rose, raised the book, and sat down where he had set 

the chair. " 

Wrong : 

I will lay down awhile. 

He raised up and then he set stiil. 

I sat him in the chair. 

When a conjunction indicates some uncertainty, use the 
subjunctive after it ; when anything is spoken of as an actual 
fact, or as. in absolute existence, the indicative is used. Compare 
the following correct sentences : *^ Do not give him the money 
unless he return you the goods"; Though friends be false, yet 
will 1 do my duty " ; "Though her chastity is right and becoming, 
it gives her no claim to praise ; because she would be criminal if 



Writing for the Press. 



* ■ 

she was not chaste." Parry Gwynne has well illustrated this knotty 
point : ^'Thus a gentleman, giving an order to his tailor, may say, 
' Make me a coat ; if it fit me well, I will give you another order ; ' 
because the ^ fit ' alluded to is a thing, which the future has to 
determine. But when the coat is made and brought home, he 
cannot say, ^ If, this cloth be good, I will give you another order,' 
for the quality of the cloth is already determined ; the future will 
not alter it. It must be rendered in the indicative mood, ' If this 
cloth is g^|i,' etc." 

Lack of space forbids detailed discussion of the errors in the 
following sentences, most of which were taken from newspapers of 
recent date. It is hoped that the correct form or the slight 
explanation in brackets may indicate the mistake clearly enough : 

He is sure of the bill [bill's] passing the House." 

Unless Rhode Island should some time surrender one of her 
superfluous capitals." [Rhode Island has but two capitals, and 
both cannot be superfluous.] 

From the report of the grand secretary of Odd Fellowship 
in Massachusetts, it appears that the order is. now the largest, in 
point of membership, of any similar organization in the state." 
[How can it be the largest of any similar organization " ?] 

" One of the most valuable books that has [have], appeared 
in any language." 

" I am one of those who cannot describe what I [they] do 
not see." 



i8 



Writ mg for the Press. 



The Legislature meets today, and Mr. Smith speaks to 
them [it]." 

"Who [whom] do you mean?" 
"He is much stronger than me [I]." 

"Great was the generalship and various the contrivances."' 
[The verb must be repeated.] 

"It is me [I]." 

"It is him [he].'' 

" Neither Republican nor Democrat say [ says ] an}1;hing on 
this point." 

"I have made no change, nor shall I ever [make any]." 
" I meant to have written [to write]." 

"'The shoe factory are [is] employing only about two-thirds 
of their [its] usual help," [Query — Is "help " permissible?] 

Her parents are entitled, as they are receiving, the sympathy 
of their friends." [At best a poor sentence, but only permissible 
when to is supplied after e7ititled.'\ 

Cornering the distinguished lecturer in the gi'een-room, Mr. 
Beecher entered into an animated talk upon his part in public 
affairs." [The reporter was the man who "cornered,'^ not 
Mr. Beecher.] 



Writing for the Press. 



19 



Benson's testimony, like that of tlie preceding witness, was 
not conclusive nor convincing in any particular, having a convenient 
memory on direct examination, and rather unpleasant results accrued 
when attempting retrospective under the fire of the cross-examina- 
tion.'' [Did the testimony have the memory?] 

" Believing that the writer was a ' spotter,' a huge fist collided 
with his nose, after which he was fired out, since which time he has 
not been seen." [Did the fist believe ?] 

*^The torch was applied, and when raging with fury three 
grenades were thrown from a distance of about forty feet, and 
inside of fifteen seconds the flames were extinguished." [How 
could a torch rage with fury ?] 

"The Mann boudoir car 'Carmen' left here today for 
Richmond, whence she will haul a party to the Exposition." [Can 
a car haul a party ?] 

''All persons desirous of obtaining real [really] good gloves." 

" I doubt if [whether] this will ever reach you." 

" It is very rarely [rare] that this happens." 

WORDS AND PHRASES. 

36. Generally Anglo-Saxon words convey the idea more simply 
and more directly than words of French, Latin, or Greek origin. 

37. Never use French, Latin, or Greek words, phrases, or idioms 
where English words, phrases, or idioms will do just as well. 



20 



Writing for the Press, 



38. Call a spade a spade, and if you do not want to call it a 
spade, do not speak about it. 

39. Avoid repetition of words as much as possible, but never 
hesitate to repeat where the substitution of any other word will 
cloud the meaning. Never strain language for the sake of using a 
synonym. I learned from Macaulay," says Freeman, the historian, 

never to be afraid of using the same word or name over and over 
again, if by that means anything could be added to clearness or- 
force.'' Avoid the for^ner and the latter where possible. 

40. The repetition of the same meaning in shghtly different words 
is a worse fault than the repetition of the same word. 

41. Of two vvords that mean alike, use the shorter. 

42. Other things being equal, the simpler and briefer form should 
be chosen. From all the following phrases it is better, for brevity's 
sake, to omit the particle : Accept of address to, admit of, 
approve of, ascend up, attai?i to, breed up, bridge over, combine 
together, co7i7iect together, continue 07i^ cojiverse together, cover over^ 
crave for, curb in, desce?id down, deliver up, e?iter i?i, exami?te into, 
fill up, follow after, forbear fro7n, freshen up, lift up, 77ieet together, 
mix up, open up, remember of, restore back, return back, rise upy 
seek for. slur over, taste of, trace 02it, treat upon, 

43. In the following, omit the words in brackets : First [of all], 
last [of all], the [latter] end, the [last] end, [over] again, nobody 
[else] but him, [most] perfect, I may [perhaps], throughout th^- 
[wholel^ the [universal] regard of all his neighbors. 



Wn'/hig for the Press. 



•44. Lack of space forbids extended explanation of the words 
and phrases given below. If yoa do not see at a glance the reason 
for the directions given, look up the words in the dictionary. In 
some cases authorities differ, but the best authorities favor the 
positions I have taken. Certain words like reliable, and certain 
phrases like as though^ have the support of many writers ; but it is 
just as easy to be on the safe side, using trustworthy and as if, as 
it is to be on the doubtful side. Follow the best usage and you 
cannot be criticised. 

A. Used before words beginning with a consonant sounds 
whether the consonant is expressed or understood ; e. g., a booky 
a useful book, such a 07ie, a u?iiversity, a European. Use an before 
words begininng with in which the h is not sounded ; e. g,, 
heir, herb, hofzest, ho?ior, hostler, hour, and their compounds that 
begin with h. Before words of more than two syllables beginning 
with h, use an when there is either a primary or a secondary 
accent on the second syllable, otherwise use a; e. g., an historical 
fact, a history, an heroic poem (but a hero^, a hierarchy. 

Abortive. Means " untimely in its birth," and so, " brought 
out before it is well matured." A plan may be abortive, but an 
act cannot. 

Above. Wrongly used in such phrases as these : " The 
above statement," ''Above her strength," " ^(^^z^*? a mile away ; " 
say instead, "The foregoing statement," Beyo7id\i^x strength,'* 
More than a mile away." 



Accord. Often made a stilted substitute for give. 



Writing for the Press. 



Administer. You can administer governments, oaths, 
medicine, but not blows nor punishment ; they are dealt or given. 

Adopt. A stilted substitute for take in such phrases as, 
" What course shall you adopts " 

Aggravate. Means to add to the weight of ; e. g., to 
aggravate an offence." Not equivalent to irritate or vex. 

Ain't. Very vulgar. 

All. Rhetoricians say that all ihe land should be the whole 
land. Confine all to matters of number. 

Allude. Means to indicate jocosely^ to hint at playfully, and 
so to hint at in a slight^ passing manner ; not equivalent to refer.^ 
speak of. Allusion is the by-play of language. 

Alone. Always an adjective, and adjectives never modify 
verbs. See Only. 

Alternative. Means a choice of two things." How- 
can there be " two alternatives or " another alternative " t 

Amateur. Do not confound with novice. An amateur may 
be an artist of great experience and skill, but he is not a professional 
artist. A 7iovice is a beginner, a tyro. 

Ameliorate. An awkward word that should not be used 
where improve will do as well. 



Writing for the Press. 



23 



And. Cannot properly be used before which or who^ unless 
there has been a preceding which or who in the same sentence 
and in the same construction. See That, who, 7vhich. 

Antecedents. Generally say previous life ox, be .ter, past 

Anticipate. Do not use for expect, look forward to. Anti- 
cipate means to take or act before another, to take before the proper 
time, or to foretaste. 

Any. In the phrase not any there are six letters ; in the 
word 710 there are only two. Yet many reporters will write, " There 
were not any boys present.'' 

Anybody else's. Should be anybody's else. 

Appear, seem. The meaning common to these words 
is that of strike 07ie as being. Substitute the phrase for the 
word in such sentences as these : There seems to be little meat 
in the book;" ''They appear to be men of judgment." You 
will at once see that to be is redundant. Because to be is very 
often used in this way, is no reason why the student of condensa- 
tion should not avoid it. 

Appertains, Has two letters more than pertai?ts and no 
more meaning. 

Appreciate. Do not confound with value 'or prize. To 
appreciate means to estimate justly ; hence you cannot appreciate a 
person or thing highly. Land, stocks, grain do not appreciate in 
value ; they rise in value. 



2 4 



Writing fo?' the P7^ess. 



Apprehend. Sometimes used as a pompous synonym for 
ihinky fancy, imagine. 

Apt. Aptness and liability both express conditions, — one of 
fitness and readiness, the odier of exposure. 

Artist. It may be funny to refer to a barber or a bootblack 
as an artist, but it is not in good taste in serious writing. 

As. Do not say, Not as I know," but, " Not that I know." 
Ascertain. Longer than find out. 

Assist. Instead of assist and assistance, in most cases it is 
better to use help, which is shorter and simpler. 

As though. Do not use for as if. 

(1) He talks as {he would talk) though he were educated. 

(2) He talks as (he would talk) if he were educated. 

The distinction may be made clearer by substituting although 
for though in ( i ) . 

As well. Do not use as a synonym for also ; e. g., say, 
*'Jones came also," and not, ^'Jones came as well." 

At length. Do not use for at last. 

Attendance. Awkwardly used in such phrases as, ''A large 
attendance was present." It is shorter and simpler to say, ^'The 
attendance was large." 

Audience. An assembly of hearers. There can be no 
audience at a gymnastic performance, a pantomime, a boat-race, a 
sparring match, and the like. 



Writing for the Press. 



25 



Authoress. The best usage does not countenance the 
words authoress and poetess. 

Avocation. Not synonymous with vocation, A man's 
vocatio7i is his caUing, his business ; his avocations are the things 
that occupy him incidentally. For instance, amateur photography 
is an avocation of many men. 

Awful. Vulgarly substituted for very. 

Balance. Do not use in the sense of rest^ remainder, 
residuum^ or remnant. 

Beside — Besides. It is better to use beside iox by the side 
of; besides for in addition to. 

Between. Must not be appHed to more than two things 
at once. 

Both. In ''You and I both think" the both is useless. The 
same is true in ''These two books are both alike." 

Bound. Do not use in the sense of determined. "I am 
bound to do it/' unless there is an obligation, should be, "I am 
determined to do it." 

Bountiful. Do not confound with plentiful. . Bountiful 
means liberal^ beneficent., kind. 

Bring. Expresses motion toward, not away. Fetch expresses 
a double motion — first from and then toward the speaker. 

Build. Preferable to erect. Built is shorter than erected or 
constructed. 



26 



Writing for the Press. 



Burst The imperfect and the past participle is bursty not 
bursted. 

But. Used adverbially, but is equivalent to no more than. 
Therefore the man that says, I cannot but think/' really says, 
I can think," for but has the negative sense and two negatives 
make an affirmative." He means, I can but think/' 

But what. Almost always omit what, as it is meaningless. 
" I do not know but [what] you are right.'' The same criticism 
applies to but that. 

By. Never say, "A man by the name of Thompson." 
Substitute of for by^ or, better, use named. 

By means of. By will often answer the purpose just as 

well. 

Calculate. Sometimes vulgarly used for intend^ purpose, 
expect. Do not use calculated for likely or apt. 

Can. Implies possibility. Therefore in ca?mot be possible, 
the possible is superfluous. 

Canine. An adjective. Vulgarly used as a noun for dog. 

Caption. Wrongly used for heading. A caption is a seiz- 
ure, an arrest. 

Casket. Coffi^t is better in speaking of the receptacle for 
a corpse. 



Writing for the Press. 



27 



Casuality. No such word. Casualty is the proper word. 
The same may be said of speciality^ for which specialty should be 
used. 

Character. Distinguish from reputation. Slander may 
harm reputation, but not character. 

Citizen. Implies citizenship. Often used where person or 
man would be better. 

Claimed. William Cullen Bryant forbade the use of this 
word in The New York Evening Post when asserted was meant. 

Climax. The Greek for ladder. It does not mean //^^ top 
of a ladder. We speak of " capping a climax/' but not often 
correctly of reaching a climax;" acme is usually the appropri- 
ate word in the latter case. 

Commence. Called vulgar by many authorities. Begin 
is far preferable, because it is shorter and is Anglo-Saxon. 
Commence is of very poor Latin origin. 

Consider. . Means to contemplate^ to ponder. Do not use 
for think, suppose^ or regard. 

Constantly. Not synonymous with frequently. Constantly 
means iminterruptedly . 

Consummation. Writers for the press sometimes say 
that *'the marriage was consummated^''' when they mean that "the 
ceremony was performed," in some church or by some minister. 
As Richard Grant White says, " consummation is not usually 
talked about openly in general society." 



28 



Writing for the Press. 



Contribute. Often used as a pompous substitute for give. 

Cottage house. What could a cottage be but a house ? 

Crime. Distinguish between crijne, vice, and sin. Crime is 
a violation of the law of a particular country. Sin is the viola- 
tion of a religious law. Vice is a course of action or habit of life 
that is harmful to the actor or wrongful to others. 

Deceased. A word to be shunned. In point of brevity, 
good taste, and solemnity, dead is far preferable. 

Demean. Means behave, co?iduct, not debase. 

Departed this life. A sanctimonious paraphrase for died. 

Depose. A deponent gives a deposition as written evi- 
dence. Therefore a man does not depose if he is in court. 

Depot. Avoid this mischief-making French word by sub- 
stituting station. Every railway depot is a station, but very few 
stations are depots. 

Deprecate. Wrongly used for disapprove, censure, condemn. 
The word really means to beg or pray against. 

Description. Do not use for kind or sort. Say, His 
clothes were of the meanest sort,'' and not, " of the meanest 
description." 

Despatch. A telegraph message is a despatch, not a dispatch 



Writing for the Frcss. 



29 



Despite. Often incorrectly preceded by i7i and followed 
by of. Say either, ^' Despite all our efforts," or, In spite of all 
our efforts." - 

Devouring element. Bombastical for fire. 

Directly. Do not use for as soon as. 

Dirt. Means filth. A thing that is dirty is foul. Do not 

use for earthy loa7n^ gravely or sand. 

Donate. Not recognized by good writers. Use give. Gift 
is better than donation. 

Done. Exercise very great care in the use of this word. 
The danger may be seen by reflection on this sentence: ''I 
ought not to write as I have done " 

Don't. Like can^t^ won't, have?i^t, isn't, and the like, dofi't is 
pardonable in colloquial waiting and common conversation, but a 
clear discrimination must be made between doji't and doesn't. 
^' He don't " is as wrong as, ^' He do not." 

Dove. Misused for dived. 

Dramatize. Do not confound with adapt. Stories are 
dramatized when they are changed from the narrative to the 
dramatic form ; plays are adapted when they are altered. 

During. Worcester defines this word as meaning, " For 
the time of the continuance of." It is clear, then, that corres- 
pondents err when they use thew^ord as in the following sentence :* 
The Odd Fellows will give a ball during the week. " 



so 



Wrifmg for the Press. 



Either, or, neither, nor. Either looks forward to or ; 
neither looks forward to 7ior, No matter if either has been pre- 
ceded by a negative, — it should still be followed by or. If a 
negative such as not has been used, but no either, then use nor if 
it governs the same part of speech that the negative governed ; 
otherwise use or ; it is correct to say, for example, They are 
not worth all the labor or all the room," and it is correct to say, 
" They are worth not all the labor nor all the room." Put the 
corresponding words next the words they govern ; do not say, 
He comes either from Maine or Vermont/^ but say, " He comes 
from either Maine or Vermont." Remember that 7iever is just 
as much of a negation as neither. Therefore it is wrong to say, " I 
never saw man nor woman equal to the task," but it is right to 
say, " I never saw man nor heard of woman equal to the task/' 
MX^x either — or, neither — nor use the singular number; e.g., 
" Neither the man nor the boy is to be seen/' 

EfHuvia. Plural. Do not say a bad effluvia. 

Elder. Elder and eldest should be confined to kinsfolk and 
historical persons. 

Embrace. Do not use carelessly for eo7ztai?z or comprise. 
An obituary notice contained the following ludicrous statement : 
He left a large circle of mourners embracing an amiable wife 
and children.'* 

Employee. Now commonly accepted as an Anglicized 
l^ord, spelled without the accent, and with two e's whether mas- 
culine or feminine in application. 



Writing for the Press. 



31 



Enceinte, Say, with child. 

Equanimity, anxiety. Both are mental conditions and 
therefore it is redundant to put of mind after them. 

Equally as well. Equally is superfluous. 

Every. Means each of all ^ not all in a mass. It cannot, 
therefore, be applied to that which is in its nature inseparable. 
Notice the error in^ *' The men deserve every praise." This word 
requires a singular pronoun ; notice the error in, Every person 
must show their ticket." 

Expect. Do not use for suppose^ think^ or guess. Then, 
too, one cannot expect backward, as is implied in this sentence ; 
I expect you caught cold yesterday. 

Explosion. Frequently used wrongly in connection with 
idea, clew, and the like. How can a clew be exploded } 

Farther. Should be used exclusively with reference to 
distance. In other connections use further. 

Fatal» Whenever fatal \s> used in the sense of mortal^ deadly, 
it is worse than silly to couple with it serious, or similar words. 
Met with a serious and fatal accident is part of a sentence not 
rarely seen. Sad a?id fatal is another deplorable phrase. 

Female. Vulgarly substituted for woman. 



Finally ^ settled. In the common use of this phras( 
finally is superfluous. 



32 



Writi?7g for the Press, 



First. Almost always it is wrong to say the three first or the 
three secoiid ; instead say the first three or the second three. An easy 
rule to remember is, let first " be first. 

Firstly. Improperly used tor first. 

Floral offering. A stock phrase that has become tire- 
some. 

For a period of. A long way of sayingy^r. 

For the purpose of. Save in very formal writing, three of 
the words in this phrase are usually needless. 

Former, latter. Never use either of these words in the 
possessive case. 

Full complement. Full is superfluous. 

Future prospects. Who ever heard of past prospects? 

Gather together. How can people gather any other way > 

Gent. Vulgar. 

Gentleman. Few things are in worse taste than to use the 
term gentleman, whether in the singular or plural, to designate the 
sex." — \_Alfred Ayres. ^' Socially the term ' gentleman ' has 
j3ecome almost vulgar. It is certainly less employed by gentle- 
pnen than by inferior persons." — [A /I the Year Roimd, 



Writing for the .Press. 



33 



Given. The New York Sim objects vigorously to such 
sentences as this : " Henry Irving was given a dinner.'^ The Sun 
calls this use of ^iven a bit of shameful reporter's vulgarity/' 
maintaining that the dinner, not Irving, was given, and that the 
sentence should be, *'A dinner was given to Henry Irving." 
Akhough, in the opinion of many, common usage justifies the 
idiomatic construction, yet it is better to be on the safe side. 

Gives upon. Do not use for looks out upon or adjoins. 

Goes without saying. A translation of a French phrase 
for which it is asserted that there is no need in English. 

Got. More misused than any other word in the language. 
Get expresses attainment by exertion ; possession is completely 
expressed by have, " I have got " is in nine cases out of ten a 
vulgar error; as in, "I have got a book in my hand.'' 

Graduate. There is good authority and certainly almost 
universal usage to justify the use of this word as a neuter verb. 

^ Grand. Used indiscriminately by careless newspaper writ- 
ers for everything from a hen-house to a thunder-storm. Most 
commonly misused in copying from advertisements such phrases 
as a grand ball, a grand excursion. Correctly used only when it 
is meant to convey an idea of magnificence or splendor. 

Gratuitous. Do not use for unfounded, untrue, ufireasofia- 

ble. 



34 



Writing for the Press. 



Grove. In a grove of trees the words of trees are clearly 
superfluous. 

Had. Had better^ had rather^ and like phrases are some- 
times criticised, but there is good authority for their use and they 
are too valuable idioms to be discarded. 

Hence. In the phrase from hence the from is worse than 
useless. 

Immediately. Discriminate from directly^ which denotes 
without any delay., whereas immediately implies without any inter- 
position of other occupation. " I will do it directly,^' means, I will 
go straightway about it." " I will do it immediately,^^ means, " I 
will do it as the very next thing." 

Immense. Misused for great. Means that cannot be 
measured. 

Inaugurate. Never use if you can possibly help it. To 
inaugurate is to receive or to induct into office with solemn cere- 
monies. In most cases begin is the word to be used. 

Individual. Use plain man, woman, person, except when 
members of a class are viewed as units of a whole. 

Indorse. Do not use in the sense of sanction^ approve, 
applaud. 

Initiate. Often used where begin would be more forcible 
because more simple. 



Writifig for the Press. 



35 



In order to. Often used where to would answer the pur- 
pose better, because it is briefer. 

In this city. Li Bosto?i is shorter and more definite. 

Lady. Often used vulgarly. Say woman, except where 
purely social distinctions are made. 

Late. In the funeral of the late Mr. Smith it is clear that 
the late is superfluous. 

Leg. When you mean leg^ say leg, not lower limb. 

Lengthy. Careful writers prefer long, which also has the 
advantage of brevity. 

Less. Relates to quantity; fewer relates to numbers. 

Liable. A man is liable to that to which he is exposed, or 
obliged, or subject; but he is not liable to act. The word im- 
plies something unpleasant. Do not confound with likely. 

Lief. Lief is permissible, but lieves is vulgar. 

Literarian, A new word generally accepted as a good 
substitute for the foreign word litterateur and the awkwafd phrase 
literary mail. 

Locate. Simply a big word for place or settle. 

Majority. Substitute most in such phrases as, " In [the \ 
majority of] cases.'' 



36 



Writifig for the Press. 



Manufactory. Factory is shorter and therefore better. 

Miss. You may say either the Misses Brown or the Miss 
Browns. 

Mistake, to. To take amiss. "I am mistaken/' is equiv- 
alent to, "I am taken amiss.'' It is generally better to sz,y at 
fault or wrong. 

Most. Do not use for almost; e. g., '^It was almost (not 
jnost) five o'clock." 

Mr. Should be used but for two purposes, — to distinguish 
men from women, and to confer what may be called a social honor. 
When the Christian name is used, the title is not necessary, and 
when only the initials are used, the omission of any title what- 
ever implies that the name is that of a man. Therefore the only 
considerable use of the title Mr, that is justifiable in newspapers, 
is its use in accounts of society happenings, and the more spar- 
ingly it is used in these cases, the better. 

Mrs. In speaking of a married woman, use her husband's 
name with the prefix Mrs,, or, if she be well known, use her 
Christian name without the Mrs.; e. g., Mrs. John Jones, or, 
Harriet Beecher Stowe. An excellent and growing practice, when 
the Christian name is used, is to prefix the Mrs. in brackets j 
•e. g., \_Mrs?\ Mary Brown. 

^ Mutual, Not synonymous with common. Macaulay says : 
Mutiml ixi^xidi is a low vulgarism for common friend." Mutual 
properly relates to two persons, and implies reciprocity of senti- 
ment. 



Writing for the Press 



37 



^ Names. Shun this word when writing about any organiza- 
tion or meeting. It is needless to say, "Among the names on 
the membership list are those of/' etc. Say instead, "Among 
the members are," etc. " Only three men have been suggested 
for the office," is better than, " Only three names," etc. 

Nice. A good word ruined by bad use. If you use it in 
its correct signification, most people will misunderstand you. 
Therefore the best way is not to use it at all. 

Number. Often badly used as a verb where has is meant j 
as in, " The lodge numbers forty members." 

Obligate. Often used pompously for hind. 

Observe. Do not use for say. 

Obtain. Pretentious synonym for get. When you mean 

get, say get, 

/ Occasion. On which occasioii may be a long and stilted 
substitute for when. 

Occur. Some authorities say that one of the most common 
errors in newspapers is caused by the indiscriminate use of occur 
for take place. Anything occurs when it takes place by chance. 
Funerals do not occur, nor do weddings. 

Off. Do not couple with from, nor with of; e, g., " He 
jumped off [from] the table," " He took the book off [of] the 
table." 



38 



Writing for the Press. 



Old. An old man seve7ity years of age is a phrase embodying 
an error not rare in newspapers Are not all men seventy years 
of age oldl Do not use of age when you mean old ; say, a boy 
ten years old, not, a boy ten years of age, 
* 

Olfactory organ. High-sounding for nose. 

On. Very often needlessly used, and sometimes wrongly, 
in referring to special days. In the phrases on last Tuesday, on 
next Sunday, on tomorrow, the on is useless and awkward. On 
Tuesday last is still worse. Furthermore, custom has decided 
that we must say either, " on the 22d of June," or, June 22 ; 
'*on June 22d" and "on June 22 " are tabooed. 

Only. Sometimes an adverb, as in, only speak French,'^ 
which implies that I do not write it ; and sometimes an adjective, 
as in, I speak only French," which implies that I speak no 
other language. The best rule is to avoid placing between 
two emphatic words, and to avoid using 07ily where alone can be 
substituted for it. See Alone. 

Onto. Vulgar. Say on or upon. 

Oh ! An interjection to be used only of surprise, grief^ 
pain, sorrow, or anxiety. Elsewhere use O." 

Operation. Tn operation is often used where at work 
would be better, because shorter and Anglo-Saxon. 

Ought. It is vulgar to say or write, "hadn't ought/' 
Ought not to is the proper phrase. 



Writing for the Press. 



39 



Over. Over a thousand people were there," should be 
More than a thousand people were there." 

Pains. When used to mean exertio7i or trouble, treat as a 
singular noun. Say, "Great pains was taken," and not, "Great 
pains were taken." 

Panacea. " Universal panacea " is tautological. 

Pantomime. There is no such word as paiiiomiiie. 

Pants. All the authorities call it vulgar. Use trousers or 
pantaloons. 

Partake. Means to take part of, to share. Notice the 
absurdity of this sentence : " Being left alone, he partook of a 
hearty meal." 

Partially. Do not use for pa7'tly. Partially means with 
unjust or unreasofiable bias. 

Participate. T'^i^/^r/ is shorter. 

Party. Do not use for simple man, woman, or person. 

Past. Not synonymous with last. The last week- is cer- 
tainly a past week, but the past week is not necessarily the last 
week, and this week is surely not a past week. We commonly 
make a subtle and almost unconscious distinction between last 
week and the last week, meaning by last week the last seven days 
that began with Sunday and ended with Saturday, bat by the last 
week, the last seven days before the one used as a starting point 



40 



Writing for the Press. 



Paven. Streets are paved, not paven. 

Per. Before Latin nouns use /^'r; before English nouns 
use a; e. g., per an?ium, a year, per diem, a day. Do not say per 
day, per week, per month, etc. Avoid using the Latin terms at all. 

Perfect. It is very often said that one thing is more or 
less perfect than another, though of course there can be no 
degree of perfection. Likewise we read such sentences as these : 
"The hall was not so full as it had been;" "The spelling was 
not as correct in this book;'' "The history is more complete 
than any other ; " His room was emptier than ever." Fullness, 
correctness, completeness, and emptiness are all conditions 
incapable of degree. Yet in these and similar cases so common 
is the application of degrees of comparison to adjectives of 
themselves superlative in significance, that it is a question 
whether phrases technically incorrect have not been made justi- 
fiable by usage. Of course it is wiser to be on the safe side and 
avoid them. 

Perform. The true musician plays the piano; Miss. 
Arabella Shoddy performs on the piano. 

Plea. In connection with legal proceedings, not a correct 

synonym for argument. It is that which is alleged by a party to 
a suit in support of his cause. It is one of the pleadings and 
is written, not spoken. Therefore it is wrong to speak of a 
lawyer's " eloquent plea." 

Plead. The imperfect and the past participle are pleaded^ 
not plead. 



lV7'iiing for the Press. 



41 



Portion. Do not use for part, A portion is properly a 
part assigned, alloted, set aside for a special purpose ; a share, 
a division. 

Possess. Do not use where merely have is meant. 

Practical, practicable. Discriminate between these 
words. A thing is practicable when it can be done, effected, 
accomplished; it is practical when it is adapted to use, not 
theoretical. There is a word, i?n practicable^ but no impractical. 
Discriminate between impracticable and impossible, ^' A thing 
is impracticable^^' says Webster's Dictionary, *'when it cannot 
be done by any human means at present possessed ; a thing is 
impossible when the laws of nature forbid it.'' 

Practical benefit. Practical is superfluous. 

Present. Why not say this week, this month, this year, 
rather than the present week, the prese^it month, the p res e7it year ? 

Preside at the organ. A phrase both senseless and trite. 

Preventive. Do not say preventative. 

Previous. An awkward and long-winded substitute for 
before, ' 

Proceed. Go is shorter by five letters, and in most cases 
gives the meaning better. 

Procure. Pompous substitute for get. 



42 



Writing for the Press, 



Propose and purpose. Do not confound. To propose 
means to make an offer ; to purpose means to intend. 

Proposition. Often used when the shorter word proposal 
would be better. 

Purchase. Buy\^ shorter and more forcible, and therefore 
far preferable. 

Quite. The best way to treat this much abused word is 
never to use it except in the sense of wholly. There is little 
authority for its use as a synonym for rather. 

Receive. One man may receive a Wxvagfrom^ but never ofy 
another, blank forms of receipts notwithstanding. 

Recipient. Was the recipient of means nothing more nor 
less than received. 

Recuperate = Means recover^ nothing more nor less. Use 
the shorter word. 

Relatives. Better than relations to express kindred. 

Reliable. J. R. Lowell calls this ''an abominable word.'^ 
The best authorities reject it. Better be on the safe side and say 
trustworthy. 

Replace. Means properly, "to restore to its place.'^ 
Wrongly used for displace, succeed, supercede^ take the place of, and 
supply the place of. 



IVritmg for the Press. 



43 



Repudiate. Do not use for reject or disown. 
Reside. Long-winded for live. 

Resume. The unpretending man takes ^ not resumes^ his 

seat. 

Retire. Vulgarly substituted for go to bed. 
Reverts back. Does anything ever revert forward ? 

Sales-lady. The use of this word should be confined to 
the "mercantile establishments'^ or '"commercial emporiums'' 
where the " counter-jumper " shows you an " under-vest " when 
you want to buy an under-shirt. 

Section. Often misused for region. Section, being derived 
from the Latin word meaning ''to cut off," implies a definite 
division. /// that section of the country should be in that t>art of 
the country or in that regioji. 

Sewer, sewage, sewerage. Sewer, the drain; sewage, 
the filth drained ; sewerage, the system of draining by sewers. 

Shortly. A questionable and long substitute for soon. 

Signalized. Stilted substitute for celebrated ox ^narked. 

Similar to. An absurdly long way of saying like. 

Since. Do not use for ago when you mean ago. 



44 



Writi7ig for the Press. 



Social. Needless in such phrases as a social daiice. 

Species. Kind is shorter and is Anglo-Saxon, and there- 
fore better in many places. 

Splendid. Literally means shining. Its use to express 
very great excellence is coarse. 

Standpoint. Rejected by all the best authorities. Use 
point of view. Viewpoint has been suggested as allowable where 
but one word is wanted. 

State. Discriminate between state and say. State means 
to make known specifically , to explai?! particularly. 

Stop. Do not use for stay. It is wrong to say that so and 
so is stopping at Young's." 

Subsequent. Never be so stilted and vulgar as to say 
subseque7it to for simple after. 

Sufficient. Often a long substitute for e7iough., which has 
the added advantage of being Anglo-Saxon. 

Suicide. Must not be used as a verb. 

Sum. Figures must not begin a sentence, and so it is 
sometimes convenient to begin with, '^The sum of $25,000," or 
the like. Elsewhere in the sentence, for newspaper purposes 
at least, the sum of is worse than useless. 



Writifig for the Press. 



45 



Suspect. You cannot suspect a man of being in his 
natural condition. You may suspect a man of being insane, but 
you do not suspect his sanity, you doubt it. 

Suspicioned. Vulgar. Note the following extract from 
The New York World: '''She Suspicioned the Old Man' is a 
headline in The Boston Herald. Sad is the day when we cannot 
look to Boston for good newspaper English, and yet that day has 
arrived." 

Tapis. " On the tapis 'Ms vulgar. Say, "on the carpet.'' 
The French phrase is siir le tapis^ and we have no ''ight to 
translate tw^o words and not the third. 

That, who, which. The best writers generally use that 
as a restrictive relative, who and which as co-ordinating relatives. 
This distinction can be understood by careful study of thc: 
following sentences : 

!The house that he built still stands. 
This house, which (and it) is mine, still stands. 

!The tallest man that I ever saw was Jones. 
The tallest man there was Jones, whom (and him) I saw* 



All men that are honest speak the truth. 

Some men, who (and they) are honest, speak the truth. 



46 



Writing for the Press. 



Which may be used for that to avoid repetition, and you 
must often be governed by the ear in the choice between these 
words. 

The. Whenever of immediately follows the present parti- 
ciple, the must precede it, and vice versa. Say the givi?ig of 
charity^ or giviiig charity, but not givi?ig of charity nor the givi?ig 
charity. 

The above. An inelegant phrase. 

Then. Wrongly used as an adjective, as in, *'The then 
mayor of Philadelphia/' 

There. Often uselessly employed in the phrase there a7^e, 
as in the sentence, ''There are many who frown on it ; " it would 
be briefer and in most cases better to say, " Many frown on it." 

Those kind. Ungrammatical, as is also those sort. 

To. Implies motion. " I was down to the hall is wrong. 
I went down to the hall is right. 

Transpire. Correctly used if leak out can be substituted 
for it j wrongly used if take place can be substituted for it. 

Ult., inst., prox. Use as little as possible. Say last 
month., this 77i07ith, 7iext 77i07ith. 

Upon. Do not use for 07t, as in the sentence, *' I called 
upon him to speak." O71 is shorter. 



JVri/i/i^ for the Press. 



47 



Veteran. Old veteran'' is tautological Omit old. 

Veracious. Say truthful ; likewise, truthfulness for veracity. 

When. Shorter and far better than at the time that or at 
which time. In at the time when three words are clearly super- 
fluous. 

WJience. It is as wrong to say from whence as to say 
from hence or from thence. 

Whereabouts. Do not use as the subject of a plural verb. 
Say, " The whereabouts of the criminal was unknown/' not, '^^were 
unknown." 

Who are. The wordy writer delights in saying, The men 
and women who are employed," etc. Such use of the phrase, 
though not ungrammatical, is often needless. 

Whose. May be applied to brutes and inanimate things 
as well as to human beings ; e. g., " The dogs whose barking I 
heard and the houses whose roofs I saw led me to think a village 
was near by." 

Witness. Do not use as a big, stilted synonym for see. 

Young. Needless in such phrases as a young girl eleven 
years old. 

" Pants are worn by gents who eat lunches and open wine, and 
trousers are worn by gentlemen who eat luncheoits and order 
wine." — \Alfred Ay res. 



.48 



Writing for the Press. 



Shoddy people might donate caskets for deceased females ; 
refined people would give coffins for dead women. 

Reliable parties comme7tce operations for the erection of a depot ; 
trustworthy men begin building a station. 

Do not spell forward^ backward^ homeward^ afterward^ down- 
ward^ toward^ earthward^ upward^ and heave?tward, with a final s. 
The letter is useless, and it takes time and space. 

ERRORS OF ARRANGEMENT. 

45. Among the most amusing errors in the use of language, 
are those that result from bad arrangement of words. The 
following examples, many of them from recent newspapers, will 
illustrate this. The words or phrases in italics are misplaced : 

He blew out his brains after bidding his wife good-by 
with a gun.'' 

Erected to the memory of John Phillips accidentally shot 

as a mark of affect io7i by his brotherJ^ 

'*The Present Constitution.— Hon. John D. Long Tells 
How It Came to be Adopted in a Lecture in the Old South 
Course." 

" The Norristown Herald is happy over a new Hoe press, and 
points with pride to the fact that it was started in the last century. 
[The clauses connected by and " should be reversed.] 



Writing for the Press. 



49 



" An unquestioried man ot genius." 

" They will not merely interest children, but grown-up persons." 

We never remember to have seen," etc. 

*' T saw a man talking to the Rev. Mr. Blank, who was so 
drunk he could hardly standi 

The action of Mr. Walker is condemned on all sides in 
removing the windows and doors."" 

The snake remained coiled about his Hmb until he ran home, 
nearly a mile, and was dispatched by his uiother'' 

The tannery property at Milford has been sold to A. J. 
Foster, who has a currying business in Woburn, and a morocco 
business in Boston Highlands,/^/- $7,000." 

" Carrera died on the same day that President Lincoln was shot 
and was buried with great pomp." 

" A Httle girl was struck by some cars that were being switched 
in the yard and crushed'' — Buffalo Express, 

The buildings were begun in 1876, and Mrs. Stewart 
met Bishop Littlejohn and the clergy of his diocese on the 8th 
'm?X,^ for the purpose of opening them.'" — Illustrated London News, 

The St. Mary's (Md.) Enterprise relates that a few days ago a 
buggy occupied by gentleman and lady caught fire from a brick 
that was heated for the benefit of the lady's comfort while on the 
road to Leonardtown. 



so 



Writing for the Press. 



Advertisements from English newspapers : ^' Lost — A cameo 
brooch, representing Venus and Adonis whilst walking on Sandy 
Mount, on Sunday last." " Wanted — A nurse for an infant between 
twenty-live and thirty, a member of the Church of England, and 
without any followers." 

In the Morning Chronicle's account of Lord Macaulay's 
funeral occurred the following sentence : " When placed upon the 
ropes over the grave, and while being gradually lowered into the 
earth, the organ again pealed forth." 

MIXED METAPHORS. 

46. Take care not to mix your metaphors. Here are some 
examples of this error from recent newspapers : 

Bill Nye is 011 the tidal wave. He is too original to ever lose 
his grip, to speak plain." — [Notice "to ever lose " and *'to speak 
plain "] 

*'Its Achilles heel caused it to rise with holy indignation." 

In its excessive liveliness, indeed, it entirely overlooks the 
laws of grammar and the kleinigkeiten of grammatical accidence, 
skips over the seas like an exhilarated grasshopper," etc. — The 
Critic. [Grasshoppers do not skip over seas. To how many 
readers will kleinigkeiten be intelligible ?] 

The chariot of revolution is rolling onward and gnashing its 
teeth as it rolls/' is what a Berhn revolutionist told the students 
m 1848. 



Writi?ig for the Press. 



SOME WORDS WITH PUZZLING PLURALS. 



Singular, 


Flural. 


Singular. 


Plural. 


Addendum 


Addenda 


(icnius 1 


' Geniuses(men) 
^ Genii (spirits) 


Aide-de-camp Aides-de-camp 


Analysis 


Analyses 


Hypothesis 


Hypotheses 


Appendix 


( Appendices 
1 Appendixes 


Larva 
Alagus 


Larvae 
Magi 


Bandit 


( Banditti 
\ Bandits 
( Beaux 
1 Beaus 


IVT Q 1"ri Y 

Memorandum 


i A 1 r^VO T> /H 11 o 

\ ^V±C111(JI d,iiv_I.Ulllb 

\ ]^lemoranda 


Eeau 






Miasma 


Miasmata 


Chef d'oeuvre Chefs d'oeuvre 


P^irenthpsi'^ 


J. Cll 11 Li J-V^ JV^ O 


Cherub 


Cherubim 


± llCiUJlllCllUli 


\-\ 1.^ n /~vi"n ATI Q 
i lldiUlllCilct 


Crisis 


Crises 


OCl <X\j i i 


oci ciuiiim 


Criterion 


Criteria 






Datum 
Dictum 


Data 
Dicta 


Stigma < 


1 OLJglilctLct 

[ Stigmas 


Effluvium 


Effluvia 


Tableau 


Tableaux 


Erratum 


Errata 


Terminus 


Termini 


Facetia 


Facetiss- 


Thesis 


Theses 


Focus 


Foci 


Tumulus 


' Tumuli 


Formula 


( Formulas 
\ Formulae 


Vertebra, 
Virtuoso 


Vertebrae 
Virtuosi 



PUNCTUATION. 

48. It is foolish for a newspaper writer of any grade 'to suppose 
that the desk-editor or proof-reader exists mainly for punctuation 
purposes. It is the duty of every writer to punctuate his own copy 
to the best of his ability. It is a strange fact that some reporters 
and correspondents who have been writing for the press for years, 



52 



Writing fo^ the Press. 



constantly break even the few very simple rules that follow, thus 
imposing needless drudgery on desk editor, compositor, or proof- 
reader. 

49. Put a period after every sentence that does not require an 
interrogation or exclamation point ; after every abbreviated word 
that is not abbreviated by an apostrophe for letters omitted ; after 
Roman numerals. 

50. Use the colon when introducing a speech or quotation 
consisting of more than one sentence ; before a series of propositions 
or statements formally introduced by as follows^ namely, thus, etc. ; 
and before a short quotation formally introduced. 

51. When two or more clauses of a sentence are not so closely 
connected as to admit the use of a comma, a semi-colon is used. 

52. Bigelow well says ; Commas are properly used, not for the 
purpose of showing where pauses are to be made in reading, but to 
present to the eye the proper grammatical construction of the 
sentence, so that one reading a new book or newspaper cannot 
fail to perceive the meaning at first sight." It is clear, then, that 
only a good grammarian can use the comma correctly, and so I 
must beg leave to refer the reader to any of the many good works 
on grammar or rhetoric. 

53. An indirect question should not have an interrogation-mark 
after it. 

5 4. Oh! always requires the exclamation-point immediately after 
it, save when the sentence has an exclamation- point at the end. 
O should never have the point immediately after it. 



Writing for the Press. 



53 



55. Note the difference in the use of parentheses and brackets. 
The use of brackets is restricted to interpolations, corrections, notes, 
or explanations made by writers in quotations from others, or by 
editors in editing works. 

56. All nouns in the singular number, whether proper names or 
not, and all nouns in the plural ending with any other letter than j", 
form the possessive by the addition of the apostrophe and the letter 
s. The possessive pronoun never takes the apostrophe. 

57. Probably quotation marks cause more serious errors in the 
daily newspaper than any other of the marks of punctuation. It is 
a common thing to see a quotation begun and never ended. Often 
the misuse of the marks puts the responsibility for the w^ords on the 
wrong person and sometimes it is impossible to tell who is 
responsible for them, — the writer, the speaker, or some third person 
quoted by the speaker. The fault is usually that of the writer, 
sometimes that of the compositor. The proof-reader cannot be 
blamed, because of the disconnected way in which newspaper 
proofs usually come to him. The writer should be very careful to 
make the quotation-marks large and clear, that they may not be 
mistaken for commas or apostrophes. The compositor should 
exercise equal care. Double marks should precede and follow direct 
quotations ; where one quotation occurs within another, single 
marks only should be used. If the quotation does not begin a 
paragraph, none should be made before its close. Every new 
paragraph or stanza of the quotation should have the beginning 
marks, but only the last should have the closing marks. A 
paragraph of a quotation within a quotation has both double and 
single marks at the beginning, but only the single mark at the 
end, unless it closes the whole quotation, when it has both single 



Writing for tJie Press, 



and double. In quotation do not repeat typographical errors and 
mis spellings unless you wish to hold printer or author up to ridicule. 

58. Avoid the use of italics, save for words that are distinctly 
foreign. 

59. No two newspaper offices punctuate alike. The best way 
for you to find out about the punctuation of the paper for which 
you write, is to study its columns. Study them carefully and 
persistently, not only for punctuation, but for the hundreds of 
other things there taught daily by example, and you cannot fail to 
become, in form at least, a good writer for the press. 




THE WRITER'S LITERARY BUREAU has 
been organized by the editors of The Writer with a 
view to renderinor much-needed assistance to authors 
in marketing their manuscripts. The number of 
writers who know where to find the best market is 
exceedingly limited. A manuscript to be acceptable 
must fit the publication to which it is offered, as a 
glove to the hand. It occasionally happens that an 
article, otherwise acceptable, is refused because at 
one or two points it fails to meet requirements, and 
in such cases the editor very seldom cares to make 
necessary explanations. The Literary Bureau, 
under the management of a gentleman who for many 
years has been connected with one of Boston's 
largest publishing houses, is prepared both to show 
wherein manuscripts are defective, and to tell where 
they will be most likely to find a market. Any 
manuscript will be carefully examined and returned 
to the sender with a list of the periodicals to which 
it is best suited; the charge for this service will be: 
For each manuscript containing not more than 
2,000 words, 50 cents; for each additional 1,000 
words or fraction thereof, 25 cents. If double 
postage is enclosed, manuscript will be mailed direct 
to first publisher selected. If desired, general ad- 
vice will be given, and suggestions made in cases 
where the article can be modified to meet practical 
requirements; for a letter containing such advice 
and suggestions there will be an additional charge 
of 50 cents. Address: The Writers Literary 
Bureau, P. O. Box 1905, Boston, Mass. 



THE WRITER is a monthly magazine to make 
work with the pen better, easier, and more profit- 
able; to interest, entertain, and instruct both novice 
and expert. It gives much space to the various 
phases of journalistic work, printing discussions of 
newspaper topics by skilled newspaper men, call- 
ing attention to errors of language frequently 
noticed in newspaper columns, giving counsel to 
aspirants for success in journalism, revealing the 
mysteries of the sanctum, the composing-room, and 
the proof-room, aiming, in short, to be invaluable 
to editor, reporter, and correspondent. Work of a 
more distinctively literary nature gets due atten- 
tion, and the magazine will interest the lovers 
of literature as well as the makers of literature. 
The department of Literary Articles in Period- 
icals " is the only index of the sort to appropriate 
articles in the daily and weekly press, as well as the 
magazines, and gives unusual value to a complete 
file. The department of "Helpful Hints and Sug- 
gestions" is eminently practical and useful. The 
editors and publishers are William H. Hills and 
Robert Luce, of the editorial staff of the Boston 
Globe. The first bound volume of THE 
WRITER (April-December, 1887,) makes a 
handsome book of more than two hundred pages, 
and is the best manual of journalism that has ever 
been published. It will be sent post-paid for $1.50. 
The subscription price is $1.00 a year, and the 
price of a single copy is ten cents. Address : The 
Writer, Box 1905, Boston, Mass. 



/ 



METAL EDGEJNa 2007 PI 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




0 041 194 088 



